The present invention relates to telecommunication networks and more particularly to the management of data during activation of local telecommunication service.
Many services are offered by local service providers. Such services include, but are not limited to, telephone services, internet services, home shopping services, etc. Often, a local service provider does not offer expanded services, i.e., services out of their service area. Thus, customers are forced to rely on larger, i.e., national and/or international, service providers for services provided outside the service area of the local service provider. For example, many local telephone service providers do not offer long distance service. Customers of the local providers rely on long distance companies for long distance telephone service. However, several problems are inherent when offering services through a secondary provider. One such problem is that the integration of services between the two providers is not streamlined, creating connection problems such as intermittent service and sometimes even total failure of the service. Other such problems include validating that a service is authorized or that it has been cancelled or revoked. Further, larger service providers often must rely on the local service providers to collect payment for the services rendered by the larger service providers.
Many of the larger service providers offer similar or the same services to customers of local service providers while simultaneously providing expanded services to the customers of the local service providers. This gives customers the option to choose alternate, and often more reliable, service. However, a larger service provider often is limited to utilizing the systems of the local service providers. For example, a large telephone company could offer localized services to customers but would have to utilize the existing wiring of the local telephone company in order to avoid the high cost of installing wiring between the customer and the large telephone company. Thus, the larger service provider is left at the mercy of the local service providers through which its services are offered, and which are often hostile to the larger service provider attempting to enter xe2x80x9ctheirxe2x80x9d market.
An important aspect of achieving reliable service is efficient management of errors and controlling process flow of information within the local service area manager (LSAM). The bi-directional flow of information between the core network and a local service provider has created complex system requirements. Currently, fallouts and errors caused by inefficient handling of invalid or incomplete messages that reduce system performance and raise cost of operation.
For example, if a local service provider (LSP) experiences technical difficulties in its gateway but is processing orders internally, it may choose to send completions either via fax or e-mail. It is desirable that the core network be able to update the local service area manager appropriately and trigger completion processing. Similarly, it is desirable that the core network should be able to handle a situation if an order was not completed exactly as requested but the customer has been provided with service. Thus, it is desirable to isolate the core network from the complexities of an LSP ordering process. In addition, it is desirable to allow system administrators to monitor and fix simple errors in the LSAM processing, this includes validation errors and requests that may fall out of the normal process flow.
It can be seen that there is a need for on-line transaction control in the local activation management environment for management of data during activation of local telecommunication service.
It can also be seen that there is a need for on-line transaction control in the local activation management environment to provide efficient management of errors and controlling process flow of information within the LSAM.
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention generally discloses a on-line transaction controller in the local activation management environment, and more particularly describes the management of data during activation of local telecommunication service.
The present invention solves the above-described problems by providing a on-line transaction controller in the local activation management environment for efficient management of errors and controlling process flow of information within the LSAM.
A system in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes a method and article of manufacture for the management of data during activation of local telecommunication service. More particularly to an on-line transaction controller that provides predetermined network information, the information residing in a storage medium. Requests are generated by one of a plurality of modules that are received by the controller. The requests provide transactional information. The transactional information is compared to the predetermined network information. The comparison bases decisions on the business rules. The transactional information is manipulated upon detection of a discrepancy relative to the predetermined network information.
Other embodiments of a system in accordance with the principles of the invention may include alternative or optional additional aspects. One such aspect of the present invention includes storing a portion of the predetermined information in a local cache.
Another aspect of the present invention is that there is automatic error and reject processing of the requests, wherein corrections made to business rules to predispose similar corrections in the requests, wherein the processing of errors and rejections are logged in the storage medium.
Another aspect of the present invention is that the manipulation of the transactional information is carried out on-line and the manipulation effects at least one of a rule, a reference, and an individual transaction data having ordering and pre-ordering functionality.
Another aspect of the present invention is that there is resubmission of the requests after the information is manipulated.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and described specific examples of an apparatus in accordance with the invention.